Check out this link , it is several years old now but it is still a great starting point for GSF
Here are some more up to date resources for GSF:
GSF School Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/GSFSchool
In particular, look at this video for a quick overview on the recent changes in Patch 5.5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NtutGSajyw
GSF Discord: https://discord.gg/2gxt5c9
Much of the discussion about GSF occurs here, and it's a good place to ask questions and get answers from veterans.
Shadowlands Reconnaissance Wing (SRW) website: gsfsrw.com
SRW is a GSF focused guild (of which I am a member).
We're working on writing ship build guides, but we don't have one for every ship yet, and with the recent changes, everyone is still figuring out what works well and what doesn't.
To answer your specific questions:
@Ysil69 wrote:is this mode just completely out of balance for a preferred f2p player?
There is no difference in gameplay between subscribers and pref/F2P.
The only advantage subscribers get is 50% more requisition (req) from matches. (Pref/F2P get the same amount of req as subscribers from req tokens from the daily/weekly or bought with fleet commendations. You also get 25000 fleet req from the intro to GSF.)
Component selection and upgrades do make a difference, but it doesn't take much req to be competitive if you know which upgrades are important.
I and many others have upgraded ships from stock (completely unupgraded) many times, some as pref/F2P.
@Ysil69 wrote:I'll hit a person 10 times with my blasters and no kill, but I'll get hit like 3 times and I'm gone. Lock ons for me take forever, but enemies can lock on in 2 seconds and again, I'm gone. Is there a special trick I'm missing out on?
Some relevant things to be aware of.
Some blasters do more damage per shot (DPSh), but have a lower rate of fire (ROF). The highest DPSh of these are Burst Laser Cannon (BLC) and Heavy Laser Cannon (HLC). BLCs are only effective at short range, but devastating if you can hit from close range. HLCs have the longest range of any blaster, making them a good choice for beginners, and are available by default on the Strike Fighter you start with, the Starguard (pub) or Rycer (imp).
Gunships have railguns, which have a long range and do a large amount of damage, but must be charged up for a few seconds to be fired. You may also have been hit by these.
In Team Deathmatch (TDM), there is a powerup called damage overcharge, which increases weapon damage by 100%. Here's a short video from GSF School on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZvqvkJXnEY
Some missiles have a shorter lock on time than others. The longest is proton and thermite torpedoes (2.8s stock), while the shortest is cluster missiles (1.5s stock).
Missiles have an upgrade (usually the 1st) that reduces lock on time by 14%.
Some ships also have a magazine, Efficient Targeting, that reduces lock on times by up to 10%.
